Shoe-tree.



J. S. HANSEN.

SHOE TREE.

ABPLIOATION FILED JAN 6 1908 903,082. Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. HANSEN, OF BROOKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO 0. A. MILLER'TREEING MACHINE COMPANY, OF BROOKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE-TREE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. HANsEN, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Im rovement in Shoe-Trees, of which thefol owing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention is an improvement over my patented device No.857,055, June 18, 1907, and has for its object the provision of morecompact and simplified means for expanding and contracting the last ortree, while at the same time providing capacity for a more extensivelengthening and shortening movement and convenient means for detachingthe forepart and its connection from the heel-part.

With the above objects in view, I rovide on the connecting bar orhingeate an oblique portion in the upper edge 0 the bar, provlded with aseries of teeth, and a handle cooperating with these teeth having at itslower end a conical worm or helix normally in engagement with said teethand, when rotated, capable of en aging the teeth successively, andthereby engthening or shortening the last to a greater extent than waspossible in my above mentioned patented device. Also preferably, in mypresent construction, the handle stands vertically in the heel-part atall times, being capable, however, of a yielding movement away from theconnecting bar to permit the latter to be pulled out of the heel-part,as the most convenient and neat-appearing means of dismembering the lastor tree.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown one of. severalpreferred embodiments of my invention, Figure 1 is a view of a shoe treein side elevation, partially sectioned to show the internalconstructional details of my invention; and Fig. 2 is an under side viewof the handle or handle post.

The forepart 1 and heel-part 2 may be of any style and kind of last,tree, or foot member desired, being preferably severed from each otheralong a straight oblique line, as indicated at 3. At a convenient part 4in the forepart I ivot a hinge-plate or connecting bar 5, whic extendsrearwardly in a vertica kerf or hinge socket 6 provided therefor Ilengthwise in the heel-part 2. Said bar 5 has an oblique edge portion 7provided with a series of teeth 8 and a cut-away portion 9, terminatingin a hooked end or stop 10. Cooperating witn the obliquely arrangedteeth 8 is a handle post 11 carrying an external handle 12 setvertically in the heel-part, being normally held down by a coiled spring13 in engagement with the teeth 8.

For convenience, the heel-part is vertically bored at 14 from its bottomside so as to provide a suitable recess or housing for the spring 13 andpost 11, the spring being first inserted and t en the post, whereu onthe handle 12 is driven down immovab y upon the post into the positionshown in Fig. 1, thereby concealing from the casual observer the meansand manner of assembling and retaining the parts, and also removin fromthe curious the temptation to take t e device apart. At its lower endthe post 11 has a head 15 whose upper side forms retaining means for thespring 13, and Whose lower side is approximately conical in shape andprovided with a helical groove 16 for receiving and cooperating with theteeth 8 in obvious manner to cause the bar 5 to travel longitudinally inone direction or the other, according to the rotation of the handle 12.As the head 15 of the handle post isbeveledor somewhat conical on itsunder side, and as the edge 7 of the connecting bar is correspondinglybeveled or oblique, the result is t at as the handle is rotated aroundto the right, Fig. 1, the bar 5 is pro elled in the same direction,thereby expan ing the tree, and as the handle rotates, the roove 16engages successive teeth until the ast or lower most tooth is engagedand passes out at the periphery of the handle post head, at which timethe latter occupies the space 9 next to the stop 10 and the tree is inits extreme lengthened position. The spring 13 has meanwhile maintainedthe head 15 in engagement withthe connecting bar, the ferrule orshoulder 17 of the handle being at a sufficient height from the head 15to permit of the relative movement of the head necessary to relation.

maintain said engagement. If it is desired at any time to disconnect theforepart and heelart, the operator simply pulls up on the hand e 12 soas'to compress the spring 13 and hold the handle post head 15 entirelyabove the kerf or hinge socket 6, thereby permitting the connecting barto be freely pulled. out. i To restore the parts to normal connectedlation, the handle is'similarly raised against; its spring, and thehooked or free end of the connecting bar is slid into place as shown.

Besides the convenience of operation, invention has the advantage ofsimplicity and cheapness of construction, as it requires simply the twoholes 6 and 14 extending transversely of each other inthe heel-part, 5the simple stam ed plate 5 andcast or milled handle, all of w ich areexceedingly simple and inexpensive.

I am aware that my invention may be carried out in other details andconstructional embodiments, and accordingly I wish it unparts, aconnecting bar joining said parts provided with obliquely arrangedteeth, and a vertical handle having a helical groove cooperating withsaid teeth.

2. A divided shoe tree, having separable parts, a connecting barprovided with an obliquely extending rack at its up er edge, a rotaryhandle extending vertica'ly above said rack having a'beveled lower endspirally grooved to engage said rack, and yielding means for maintainingsaid parts in operative 3. A divided shoe tree, having separable parts,a connecting bar provided with an obliquely extending rack at its upperedge,

a rotary handle extending vertica y above said rack having a beveledlower end spirally grooved to engage said rack, and a spring,

normally holding said handle downwardly in yielding engagement with saidrack.

4. A divided shoe tree, having separable; parts, a connecting barprovided with an; obliquely extending rack at its upper edge,

above said rack having a beveled lower end spirally grooved to engagesaid rack, said,

connecting bar having its end upturned to.

obliquely extending rack at its up er edge,

a rotary handle extending vertica ly above said rack having a beveledlower end spirally ,osa

mally holding said handle downwardly in yielding engagement with saidrack, and a stop at the end of said bar in the path of the handle forlimiting the lengthening move ment of the tree. 7

6. A divided shoe tree, having separable parts, one of said partsbeingprovided with a longitudinal slot and a handle-receiving holeextending across said slot, a connecting bar occupying said slot, ahandle post occupying the portion of the hole above said bar, saidHandle post and bar having cooperating means for moving the latterlongitudinally by movement of the former, said post being incapable ofremoval while the bar is in operative position, and external means foroperating said handle post.

7. A divided shoe tree, having its heel-part provided with a verticalhole extending up wardly from the bottom and having a shouldered upperend within the heel-part, and with a longitudinal slot crossing saidhole, a head-ed handle post retained in said hole, a spring held betweenthe head of said post and said shouldered upper end, and acon nectingbar-occupying said slot and serving to retain said post, said bar andpost being provided with cooperating operating means' 8. A divided shoetree, having its heelp-art provided with a vertical hole extendingupwardly from the bottom and having. a shouldered upper end within theheel-part, and with a longitudinal slot crossing said hole, a headedhandle post retained in said hole, the upper end of said post extendingexternally above said heel-part, a shouldered handle permanently securedthereon, for

removable from the heel-part, and a connecting bar occupying said slot,provided I with means codperating with the handle post for lengtheningand contracting the tree.

'9. A divided shoe tree, having separable par-ts, a connecting barpivoted in the fore eel-part, a handle and handle-actuated operatingmeans within'the heel-part for sliding said connecting bar to contractand expand the last, and a spring for normally maintaining said parts inoperative position,

f said spring being arranged to permit said and a rotary handleextending vertically;

operating means to be retracted from engagement with said bar to permitthe latter to be pulled from the heel-part.

10. A divided shoe tree, having separable parts, a connecting barpivoted in the lorepart and slidingly mounted lengthwise in theheel-part, a handle and handleactuated operating means within theheel-part for sliding said connecting bar to contract and expand thelast, the connecting bar having a stopat its rear end normally inposition to 'grooved to engage said rack, a spring norengage saidoperating means to prevent the part and slidingly mounted lengthwise inthe 1 rendering the handle and handle post nonremoval of the connectingbar from the heel- In testimony whereof, I have signed my part, and aspring for normally maintaining name to this specification, in thepresence oi said parts in operative position, said spring twosubscribing Witnesses.

being arranged to permit said operating JOHN S. HANSEY. 5 means to beretracted from engagement with Witnesses:

said bar to permit the latter to be pulled M. J. SPALDING,

from the heel-part. GEO. H. MAXWELL.

